(Publisher’s Note: Members of Linsly’s Senior Class of 2020 offer their reflections on what has been anything but a typical end to their senior year of high school. With the future of senior activities including prom, graduation and senior week still uncertain, Linsly seniors are making the best of their final semester at Linsly and offer their reflections in this series of essays.)
There Are So Many “Lasts” I May Never Get the Chance to Celebrate
Admittedly, I have had a hard time adjusting to learning, living, and socializing from home without the people I have spent the last five years with. Year after year, I saw my friends in the graduating class enjoy their last few months of high school, and looked forward to trying on my own cap and gown, enjoying my last few months with my classmates, and partaking in all of the senior week activities before saying farewell to Linsly. I am sad I never got the chance to say goodbye to a lot of my international friends, and that there are so many “lasts” I may never get the chance to experience and celebrate. I may never finally beat Central or induct any more classmates into the National Honor Society, or see my photography presented at West Liberty’s MADfest, or present my senior research to the rising seniors, or host one last astronomy club meeting.
While I hope graduation and senior week can still continue in some form, I have made peace with the fact that a large part of our final quarter at Linsly is already gone. We may not return to school, and that lot of the things I looked forward to are out of the realm of possibility.
Trying New Things and Making the Best of It
As disappointed as I am, nothing can be done to change it, and all I can do is make the best of it! I am grateful that most of my friends and family are healthy, and that my parents still have jobs. Though I would much rather be at school, I have a lot of free time to try new things and work on projects I have been putting off until now. Under the stay-at-home order, my time has been spent cooking, reading, exercising, cleaning up around the house, building things, and, of course, doing schoolwork. I have also been teaching myself how to play the ukulele and helping my family plant a World War Two-style “victory garden” in the backyard. I have found that keeping busy helps immensely with the pervasive loneliness and restlessness associated with being housebound. As eager as I am to get out of the house, I have thoroughly enjoyed the extra time I have had with my family.
Finding Creative New Ways to Conduct Class & Stay Connected
Our teachers have done a great job of staying in touch with us and finding creative new ways to conduct class. Many of them are hosting video calls, which have helped immensely in establishing a feeling of normalcy. Between those, our class websites, email, and phone, we have been able to communicate with our teachers regularly. We have just enough work to keep us busy, but not so much that it is overwhelming. I usually sleep in until 8:30 or 9:00, make myself a cup of tea, and work on schoolwork until 3:00. Most of my assignments are accompanied by personal anecdotes and wishes of wellbeing. I personally struggle to stay focused at home, especially with my whole family under one roof, so for somebody like me, there is no equivalence between online school and being there in person. Nonetheless, our teachers have adjusted well to a situation that is just as foreign to them as it is to us. My brother’s and my advisor checks in on his advisees regularly. (Michael’s twin brother, Matthew, is also a member of the Linsly Class of 2020). The group has had a couple of video calls, and have been playing online video games together.
My friends and I have also been communicating via FaceTime, Snapchat, Instagram, text message, Discord, and Xbox live. Staying in touch with one another has brought us a lot of joy, and helps to keep everyone sane. We are already making plans for after the restrictions are waived, so that we have something to look forward to. Should things reopen this summer, me and my friends will have plenty of time together, as nearly everyone’s travel plans are now cancelled. Like most of them, I will register virtually for class at West Virginia University this summer, where I hope to major in Aerospace Engineering and minor in Astronomy. Though I will certainly miss Linsly and all of the wonderful people I have had the honor of meeting over the last five years, when this is all done and over with, I will be more than ready to move onto the next chapter of my life.
Michael Borkoski is a member of the Linsly Senior Class of 2020. Michael is a member of the National Honor Society, the National German Honor Society, is an AP Scholar with Distinction and was selected as a National Merit Scholarship Finalist. Michael was selected to participate in the HOBY Leadership program and was a Westinghouse Science Honors Institute participant. He played on the Linsly varsity Lacrosse team for four years and was on the first ever Linsly bowling team his senior year. Michael is the founder and president of the Linsly Astronomy Club and was also a member of the Drug Free America Club and Math Club. During his sophomore year at Linsly, he was the National Security Language Initiative Youth (NSLI-Y) Russia Representative. In his free time, Michael enjoys snowboarding, photography, astronomy, 3D printing, reading, video games and cooking. Michael will attend West Virginia University Honors College, majoring in aerospace engineering and minoring in astronomy.
